Lima – Violence erupted as thousands of demonstrators took to the streets across Peru on Friday to protest the recent pardon of ex-dictator Alberto Fujimori.
In the capital Lima, protesters chanted “Fujimori never again” as they marched towards the country’s Supreme Court.
Violence broke out between demonstrators and police during protests in other major cities including Arequipa, Chiclayo and Trujillo.
According to the television channel RPP, protesters in Lima tried to approach the Centenario clinic, in the district of Pueblo Libre, where Fujimori has been hospitalised since Saturday with complaints of blood pressure problems.
Fujimori ruled Peru from 1990 to 2000 before fleeing massive corruption and human rights abuse charges.
After being extradited from Chile in 2007 and jailed for six years for abuse of power, he received another 25-year sentence in 2009 for human rights abuses committed during his rule, including ordering the massacre of 25 people.
Peru’s President Pedro Kuczynski said that Fujimori, 79, was pardoned on Sunday due to failing health.
However, critics say the move was the result of a secret deal between Fujimori’s son, an opposition politician and the president, who recently survived an impeachment vote. (dpa/NAN)